Trust hatches plan to reintroduce birds not seen for centuries

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust has announced an ambitious new project to reintroduce white storks – more than 600 years after they vanished from the region.

Supported by more than £300,000 from Veolia Environmental Trust through the Landfill Communities Fund, the project is part of long-term strategy by the trust to restore lost species.

Centred at Willington Wetlands, it plans to create a purpose-built white stork enclosure in consultation with Celtic Rewilding, specialists running a captive breeding facility just over the border in Staffordshire.

The enclosure, located within a low-disturbance conservation area and designed to be predator-proof and adaptable for future species recovery projects, will support breeding, chick development, and carefully managed soft releases into the wider landscape.

A pair of flightless storks will also be introduced to the site to help attract wild birds moving through the Trent Valley and encourage settlement and breeding.

It will be a community-led project with local volunteers engaged in habitat restoration across the reintroduction site.

There is also the development of a digital experience to engage new visitors and those who cannot access the site, creating a platform for volunteers to share their sightings, photos and video footage.

As a key indicator of healthy wetland ecosystems, white storks play an important role in enhancing biodiversity, regulating small animal populations, building and abandoning nests that support other birds, and connecting different sites as they fly between them.

The iconic native species would have been present across the county until the 14th century, when loss of habitat and hunting led to their disappearance.

More recently, sightings have increased, including birds recorded flying over Willington Wetlands in 2024 and nearby in 2025, but none have yet stayed to breed.

Katie Last, living landscape officer at Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, said: “We could not be more excited about bringing white storks back to the Midlands, a species that has been absent from these skies for over 600 years.

“This project isn’t just about returning an iconic bird; it’s about reigniting people’s wonder for nature and showing what’s possible when communities come together for wildlife.

“Their return offers a powerful opportunity to engage communities with nature recovery, rewilding and the restoration of lost species.”